"Let Me Be Your Expert!"

No doubt this doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has followed my blog for the past couple of years, as the frequency of my posts has been dwindling steadily since 2012.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to take the site down - you can still find what you need here. (And I’ll keep my FB page up so that I can link items of interest or pop in and say hello.) But I have other pursuits right now that are taking precedence over HLW and I need to fully let go here so that I can focus my energy and attention where it’s needed.

Amazon has nailed it with their first run of Amazon Original Series for kids.

My girls adored Annedroids - featuring a super smart, Punky Brewster-esque female lead and her human and robot sidekicks. The show hit three major sweet spots for me: smart, not cynical, and a racially and socioeconomically diverse cast of characters. I love that the kids’ parents have roles and are not cast as idiots, and that the focus is not on “boys and clothes and popularity.” The science is iffy, at best, but the real draw is the interest in tinkering and building, not accurate STEM instruction. ;)

Of all the natural immune boosting remedies you could make at home, elderberry syrup has the best scientific support backing its use to combat and prevent the flu.

Until now, I’ve been purchasing my elderberry syrup from Honey Gardens Apitherapy, online. It’s wonderful tasting and effective, but it’s also really, really expensive. Prohibitively expensive for a family of five to take every day!

I recently started making my own elderberry syrup and I’m never going back. Making elderberry syrup is so easy and cost effective! It takes less than an hour, and the ingredients are easy to source either online or in your pantry. There are plenty of recipes online; here’s the HeyLauraWhat way. :)...Continue reading →

(I posted this originally as a personal Facebook status, but because it has resonated with so many people, I wanted to make it more widely available for sharing.)

I’ve been struggling for words to add to the conversation revolving around the recent exposure of the prejudice and violence endemic in this country. And I realize, I don’t have to add to the conversation; I just need to listen better to what is being said.

Our refusal to engage in other people’s realities and listen to their stories is what truly divides us in any situation. A lack of compassion always divides.

I’ve spent the last few weeks just trying to listen, trying to build my compassion in an area where my knee jerk...

Full Disclosure/Update/Confession
It’s been many years since I created this recipe. I’m no longer vegetarian and have cleaned up my diet considerably. So, we now make it with pastrami or roast beef, and homemade mayo. It is still incredible. You should make it however you can, and enjoy.

Laura’s Crazy-Ass Sandwich
- one hoagie roll, hot dog bun, or in a pinch - two slices of bread (hoagie roll is best, but I made it on a plain English muffin once, too)
- 1/4th cup sauerkraut
- 1/4 cup cranberry relish (either chunky or smooth is fine - I think the smooth from the can is best; homemade might mess up the taste profile)
-...

This is the copycat-attempt I made after we enjoyed an amazing hot drink at our local juice bar. It is spicy, invigorating, and leaves you feeling deeply nourished.

Now, I don’t have a juicer, but I figured that my Vitamix was up to the task of liquifying this unusual mix of ingredients. The texture is a little thicker than juice, but it’s not weird like a hot smoothie.

About Laura

I love to help people. This is a catalogue of questions people ask me, presuming that I know the answers. All I really know is what I’ve read, researched, or experienced first hand, but since I’m a glutton for information, I have a lot to share!

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